well ive been looking for a new hobby and i would really like to learn how to paint cars. i got a buddy that used to do it and im sure he can give me some tips. just wondering if anybody could give me some advice and maybe a good starter kit to go with of some of the tools i might need. thanks fellas

 

anybody? tips? advice? maybe a recommended spray gun?

 

devilbliss makes a few super good starter spray guns, like the finishline. dont ever buy anything other then a name brand gun, like the $20 harbor fright spray guns.
compressor is the largest part, make sure you get an air compressor that matches your spray gun. 60gal is the smallest size compressor that can be used for spray equment.
and make sure to have a good filter system. you will need a filter at the compressor and one on the gun its self, oh and you will need a air regulator, I prefer to use one on the compressor, but most like to have them on the gun.

remember paint is very expensive, and even more expensive if you screw up.
Buy a super cheap paint like acrylic enamel, and get a messed up body pannel to practice on. you need to get a good DA sander, I prefer a palm sander with hook & loop paper, but thats me. any orbit sander will work fine. for body repairs start with 120G and work your way up to 320G.

the biggest thing to remember is " your paint is only going to look as good as the body work done" Also never go "cheap" on your primer, alot of people make the mistake of buying high doller paint and cheap primer, but your paint is only going to stick as good as the primer.

their is a lot to learn about painting cars, my best advice is to go to a local commuity collage and ask to set in on some classes, or at least go to a local library , they have a few good books on painting. it will have a lot more info, then what I could tell you online.

But when you do start to paint a car, let me know and I will help you the best I can.
Ive been painting cars for 7 years now

 

i just took 4 classes at a community college. you should probably go that route. there is a lot to know and you will get hands on expierence. i just painted my brothers trans am and it turned out great. its all about the prep work.

 

60Gal compressors are really nice to have but the big thing you have to look at is the CFM. If you have a big tank with low CFM the tank will last a while but can't keep up with the gun in the long run. The more CFM a Compressor has the better. I've painted cars with smaller compressors and have had good results. The filter system is really important you don't want moisture mixing with the paint. Bad things will happen.

 

Just ask some of the paint sniffers @ Mako....lol.jk....no clue

 

what is a good compressor to go with? i have a 26 gallon husky right now that i use for my air tools but i dont think i can use it with a spray gun cuz it does blow out some moisture. i hear this talk about filters for the compressor and the gun but i didnt know you could put a filter on a compressor. can somebody post a couple links for the spray gun and for the compressor and filters for it. thanks.

 

you can get filters anywhere , lowes, home depot, harbor fright, northern tool has some nice ingersol rand filter/regulator combos.
Every compressor puts out moisture. that is why you need a filter, bowl filters at the compressor, and disposible inline filters at the gun.
Lowes sells a 60gal Kobalt air compressor for $450. A friend of mine has one and its not bad at all, If I had my pick of compressors for a home shop, I would go with a quincy from northern tool, or an ingersol rand. but the cheapest ive seen to paint a car, is the kobalt.

 

thanks for the info, i keep hearing that when buying an air compressor for painting, the more important thing to look at is CFM, not the gallons, so im wondering what is a good CFM to look for when buying an air compressor? remember, this wont really be for a shop use, this is just a compressor for the house to paint a car or something everynow and then. definately wont be in use everyday

 

what CFM should i look for?

 

That will depend on the gun you want.. every gun has a diff CFM rating, HVLP guns use lower cfm then a conventional gun.. most all spray gus have their cfm requirements in the description.

 

Its a decent hobby that can take a toll but also have outstanding benefits. I've been learning for the past year or 2 myself. Im mostly gearing myself towards custom airbrushing but Im also killing 2 birds with one stone by learning how to do regular paint jobs as well. Here are some of the things Ive picked up along the way.

Sand Paper. Learn your different grits and what each one is mostly used for. Would be kinda pointless to be wet sanding with 480 grit right?

Spay Guns. Definately get a Brand name gun for nicest finishes. the 20 dollar guns from Harbor Frieght arent bad for priming, but thats about as far as they go. Ive paid for a couple guns already ranging from Spray guns that run round 200 bucks to 150 dollar air brushes, so be prepared to spend spend spend, its not a cheap hobby by any means.

Air. I picked up a 27 gal. air compressor for 200 bucks at Harbor Frieght and it works great. I also picked up a inline water filtration system to keep water out of my air from the compressor. These usually have a air regulator to match ANY Spray guns spraying quality.

Lighting. I used to do electrical work and on a jobsite I got a bunch of 4' dual florecent lights free. Already have me a single bay garage framed up back in 1984 by my Grandfather. I put up 13 new lights. 3 on each side of the car and 7 over the car. Lighting makes a big difference to see imperfections in your paint as well as small dings/dents that your wanting to get out, that is if your going to be doing any body work.

Practice. Find old fenders.. hoods.. bumpers.. it doesnt matter. get used to spraying Urethane paint. Clear coats can be harder to lay sometimes for different reasons. Some custom painters I know take their pieces or even the whole vehicle that need to be cleared to a Paint and Body shop just to be cleared after they've done all the paint work.

Ventilation. Have plenty of ventilation. I live out in the country area so not to many people around me. I created a down draft system with 8' duct work, 2 lay in filter grills, a high volocety squirl cage from an old AC house unit, and 10' 6" drainage pipe. works great for pulling the air down around the car.

Prep. wet the ground around the vehicle your fixin to paint. nothin worse than kicking up dust on freshly laid paint. Wipe down your vehicle with a alcohol/water mix to remove anything that may be on the vehicle, such as pizza fingers to oil wrags. You never know what could have touched the car when you werent paying attention.

Space. Have enough room to paint a car and actually move around with out hitting the car. Nuff said.

Also keep in mind about your city ordnances.. its a hefty fine if you get caught painting with out the proper stuff and such. Osha will burn you good.

Hope this helps and definately good info from everyone so far. Take it all in and have fun!

Some pics of my set up so far:

 

cool set up you got there. the gun ima go with is that devibliss finishline, not sure of the cfm requirement but ill find out when i get it. a member told me about these eastwood dvds on painting. they're a little pricey but he says they're helpful

 

I found a nice little "how to" from eastwood that will help you out
http://www.eastwoodco.com/text/conte...0400-PAINT.pdf

 

nice, thanks for the article, really helpful

 

yeah you definitly need a good area to paint in and id say atleast a 6 horse dual action compressor and then work on getting a good set of guns for priming, paint and clear...good luck with that man